Friendship Growing Stronger
by zzilly14
Summary: Randy and Sharona are friends, but it soon will become something more.
1. Break Up

_I don't own any of the Monk characters!  
_  


**Break Up  
**by Zzilly14  


  
  
Sharona walked into the police station and noticed Randy Disher sitting at his desk, twirling a rubber band slowly with his fingers.  
  
"What's wrong, Randy?" she asked.  
  
"Crystal dumped me," he muttered without looking up.  
  
The curly-haired blonde tried to keep from smiling. "Aw, did you lose her picture?"  
  
"Why does everyone think I made her up?" he complained as he angrily put the rubber band on the desk. "She's a real person who I really dated!"  
  
"Admit it, you were trying to make me jealous."  
  
"No, I just decided I needed to stop going after women who don't notice me and meet ones who actually do," he said while staring at the woman before him. "Crystal... she was nice, and sweet... and she actually liked me."  
  
"But...?"  
  
"But... she could tell my heart was somewhere else." Sharona stood silent, not knowing what to say. Randy sighed. "I talk too much, I'm sorry. Go be happy. Enjoy life. Don't let me depress you."  
  
"So she was a wallet model?"  
  
"Yeah... she was perfect," he stated. "Maybe a little too perfect."  
  
She fidgeted with one of her earrings. "Did I thank you for the Fat Tony thing? Because if I didn't... thanks. I know you care and... it meant a lot."  
  
"What are friends for?" he smiled.  
  
Sharona laughed. "But you don't see me as a friend, do you?"  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"Come on, Randy. You've had a thing for me for a long time. I can tell these things."  
  
"Sharona... I do. But I shouldn't. I know you'll never see me the way I see you. Excuse me, I have work to do."  
  
Before he could start with his paperwork, the nurse put her hand on his arm. "Randy..."  
  
He stared into her eyes, awestruck. "Yeah?"  
  
"Never say never." She smiled with a wink before turning around and walking out of the office.  
  
Randy grinned before getting back to his work, wondering if she meant it the way he hoped she did.

_TO BE CONTINUED..._


	2. Hold Me Close

_I don't own any of the Monk characters!  
_  
Notes: This chapter is an extended version of the "Hold Me Close" drabble.  
  


**Hold Me Close  
**by Zzilly14  


  
  
A few weeks later, Randy woke up earlier than usual so he could actually get to the station on time. Ever since his breakup with Crystal, he had struggled to get out of bed to greet the day. Finally, he felt like he was moving on.  
  
But a surprise greeted him when he opened the front door of his house. He saw Sharona sitting in tears on his steps, tissues in hand.  
  
"Sharona?" he asked with concern as he walked towards her.  
  
She looked up at him, wiping her face as best she could. "I would've knocked, but I didn't want to wake you up or something."  
  
He sat down next to her. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Guys. Why are all of them jerks? What is their problem?"  
  
He sighed, trying to decide what to say. "Their problem is... they don't realize how special you are."  
  
Sharona blushed with a smile before he continued.  
  
"And it takes a special man to treat your... special needs. Drat, that came out wrong. I must be a typical jerk guy."  
  
"You're not," she replied. "If you were, would I be here?"  
  
"I... I guess not. May I ask what happened?"  
  
She blew her nose before telling the story. "I've been going out with Warren for a little while now. We've been on a few dates, and he seemed really sweet. I thought 'hey, maybe I actually found Mr. Right.'  
  
"But last night... he came over. And he told me I wasn't good enough for him. He told me..." She started to cry again, Randy touching her shoulder softly.  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
"He said... he had another girlfriend. And she was better than me because she'd actually sleep with him on the first date. And the second. And the third..." She sobbed uncontrollably.  
  
Randy had the urge to hug her, but opted to pat her back instead. "He wasn't good enough for you, Sharona. Where does he live? I'll go beat him up if you'd like."  
  
"You couldn't even hurt a fly, Randy," she giggled as she wiped her eyes.  
  
"True... but I made you smile."  
  
Sharona stared into his eyes. "Randy... you're a good and decent guy. Crystal was lucky to have you. If I were her, I wouldn't have let you go."  
  
"And if I were Crystal, I wouldn't have gone out with me."  
  
The curly-haired blonde began to laugh hysterically. "And why's that?"  
  
"I don't know. I was just trying to make conversation. It didn't work out well."  
  
"Randy?"  
  
"Yes, Sharona?"  
  
"I want to... to..." She paused before sighing, "know what time it is."  
  
He glanced at his watch. "Whoa, time for me to be at the station! I'm going to be late!" He began to stand up with she pulled him back down.  
  
"Wait a sec... thank you. You're a good friend. I know I can count on you."  
  
"Any time, Sharona." He got off of the steps and walked towards his car, leaving the nurse sitting with a few wet tissues next to her, a soft smile appearing on her face.  
  
_TO BE CONTINUED...  
_  
  



	3. Take a Chance

_I don't own any of the Monk characters! _

**Take a Chance**

by Zzilly14

Randy and Sharona started to get along better than they used to. Insults and sarcasm were replaced by actual conversation. This change in attitude didn't go unnoticed.

"Hey Monk," the captain said while watching the two of them from a distance. It was the annual station picnic, held at one of the local parks. "What do you think?"

"It's got to be murder. I mean, why would a squirrel kill himself?" asked the defective detective as he stared at the dead animal lying still on the road nearby.

Stottlemeyer glanced at Monk before rolling his eyes. "I'm not talking about the road kill. I'm talking about Sharona and Randy. Look at them. They're not bickering anymore."

Monk moved his eyes towards where Stottlemeyer pointed. Sure enough, the two were actually getting along. "He likes her. And I think she likes him too. See the way they're standing?"

"Good. I'm not the only one who sees it," he answered in relief. "I'm not going crazy."

The curly-haired clean-cut man looked back at the captain. "You will, Captain. You will."

On the other side of park, the conversation was just as amusing.

"And then," Sharona laughed, "he called me a square. It was the craziest thing. Adrian called me a square!"

"That's because he was on drugs," Randy replied.

"Well... yeah. But, it was just... weird."

The lieutenant scratched his head. "Sharona? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Would you like... dinner?"

"When I'm hungry again. Those burgers were very filling." She giggled. "Wait... are you trying to ask me out on a date?"

"Yes. Dinner. Tonight?"

"I'd love to," she beamed.

That evening, the two decided to meet at the park again. Randy told Sharona he wanted to surprise her with where they were going, but in reality the poor guy had no clue what he was going to do.

So he arrived at the park early, pacing around with a phone book in his hands. He wanted to go somewhere nice, but not too expensive. What was he going to do?

As he was looking up restaurants, he felt a hand on his arm. He looked up to see Sharona.

"Randy Rule Number One: 'It's a surprise' means 'I have no idea.'"

He gulped. "That would be correct. Although I wouldn't put it as my number one rule."

"Whatever. Now let's get going, we don't want to be late!"

"But I don't..."

She smirked. "Just start walking and I'll point you in the right direction. Capeesh?"

He nodded as they headed out of the park, wondering what was going to happen next.

_TO BE CONTINUED..._


	4. Dinner Date

_I don't own any of the Monk characters!  
_   
  


**Dinner Date  
**by Zzilly14  


  
Sharona and Randy walked in silence as they continued walking towards wherever they were headed. The whole time, Randy kept thinking how beautiful Sharona looked. She wore a light blue sleeveless dress that went to her knees. A silver necklace accented her neck, and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He tried to keep from staring too much.  
  
In Sharona's mind, she was wondering what she was doing. She had secretly liked the lieutenant for a while, but never admitted to it. Why was she taking the chance now? Would her heart get broken again like in the past, or could this be something that actually works?  
  
"You don't know until you try," she quietly muttered to herself as they crossed the street.  
  
"What did you say?" Randy asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing," she laughed. "Just talking to myself."  
  
He nodded, afraid of what was going on her head.  
  
Finally they arrived at a small French restaurant, family-owned and operated. It was a cute little place, and when they walked in they were seated in the back.  
  
A waiter came by and lit the two candles in the middle of the table before handing them their menus.  
  
"This is nice," Randy noted. "How'd you find out about this place?"  
  
She grinned. "A friend of mine from writing class works here. The food is great, it's a decent price, and the people here are really friendly."  
  
"Thanks for having dinner with me. And choosing the restaurant."  
  
"Hey, I think it's fun to get dressed up and go out and get to know someone better."  
  
"Me too." He smiled. "Especially when that someone is you."  
  
"Randy!" she blushed. "I didn't know you could be romantic!"  
  
"Well, it takes practice."  
  
"But I don't remember you practicing on me."  
  
"Well... um... that's because I do it in front of a mirror." Now it was Randy's turn to blush. He stared at his menu and began to look for something to eat. Sharona giggled silently before choosing her entrée.  
  
...  
  
After they had ordered, it took ten minutes before the silence was broken.  
  
"How's Monk doing?" Randy asked.  
  
"Crazy as ever. I'm glad he stopped taking that medicine, though. He just wasn't the same person, you know?"  
  
"Yeah. He's grown on me in the past couple of years. He's crazy and insane, but he's a great detective. And his disorder is a part of who he is. It's what makes him brilliant at his job."  
  
"Wow," Sharona stated in surprise. "I didn't realize you looked up to him like that."  
  
"There's a lot of things you don't realize," he smiled. "About me, I mean. Like how I think you're really gorgeous, and how much I..."  
  
Before he could continue, the waiter served their meals.  
  
"Merci," Sharona said as she received her plate.  
  
Randy nodded. "Yeah. Mercy. Thanks."  
  
"You were saying?" his date asked.  
  
"Um... never mind. It wasn't that important." He began to eat his dinner hungrily.  
  
Sharona stared at him sadly for a moment before starting her own meal.  
  
_TO BE CONTINUED..._


	5. Confessions

_I don't own any of the Monk characters!  
_   
  


**Confessions  
**by Zzilly14  


  
  
He almost said it. He had almost told her he loved her. _I love Sharona_, he thought. _I, Randy Disher, love Sharona Fleming!_  
  
He continued to eat his chicken with a smile, not realizing Sharona was staring at him.  
  
_What is he smiling about?_ she wondered. _What secret is he hiding? What is his problem?_  
  
"Sharona?"  
  
_I'm his problem. I've always been mean to him. I don't deserve a nice guy like him. I deserve the likes of Trevor and Fat Tony and Warren... not Randy. Not sweet and caring Randy..._  
  
"Sharona? Earth to Sharona!"  
  
She blinked a few times and began to blush from embarrassment. "Sorry Randy. I was just thinking."  
  
"I kinda noticed," he chuckled. "What about?"  
  
She looked deep into his blue eyes. "Um... it was about... the... food! Yeah, the food. It's really delicious. I was trying to imagine that I was in France... like in Paris or something."  
  
Randy glanced at her plate and scratched his head. "What food?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You haven't even started eating." He cleared his throat awkwardly.  
  
Sharona waited a few seconds and began to laugh hysterically. "Oh, right. I forgot. I haven't even started. Silly me, huh?"  
  
"Right... silly."  
  
She sighed deeply. "Okay, okay... I was thinking about you." She stared at her plate. "You're a great guy. But I don't know what you see in me. I don't get it."  
  
"I see a brave gorgeous woman who has put up with a lot of jerks, but still keeps on going. You're a single mother. Not only that but you take care of the world's most difficult person. You're smart, you're funny, and you rightfully pick on me when I deserve it."  
  
"Randy..."  
  
"But what I don't get... is what you see in me. I've always imagined the two of us going on a date, but I never thought it'd actually happen. Because I always saw you on a pedestal above me."  
  
"Really?" she beamed, her rosy cheeks glowing.  
  
"And the thing is, Sharona... I..."  
  
"Spit it out, Disher," she prodded.  
  
He stared into her eyes. "I'm in love with you." He sighed. "There, I said it. I may be crazy, but it's true."  
  
Sharona looked back and forth in his eyes, speechless at his revelation. Tears began to fall from her eyes.  
  
Randy scolded himself. _Good move, Randy. The last thing you wanted to do was make her cry. And now, she's crying. You're smooth, Randy. Real smooth._  
  
All of the sudden Sharona was standing next to him and kissing him softly on the lips.  
  
After their kiss, Randy's jaw dropped open. "I take it you're okay with that?"  
  
"Most definitely," she grinned.  
  
_THE END!  
_


End file.
